It is January, the month of the Epiphany. The three kings come to pay homage to a small village perched amongst snow clad mountains. Well, if not quite three kings, certainly a fair sprinkling of princes, princesses, presidents and premiers. Yes, it's time to look out the lederhosen and dust down the dirndl for the annual WEF-fest at Davos.

This year's theme is The Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business.

The headlines tend to be grabbed by the politicians posturing about their latest policies trotted out to a not always obliging army of waiting media. After a particularly brutal and bruising period in Australian politics, Tony Abbott, the Australian prime minister, is seeking affirmation, if not acclamation, on the global political stage. He will lay out his vision for stimulating global growth as Australia assumes presidency of the G20.

The Swiss president will also give a keynote address which will touch on how the country has reinvented itself since the end of traditional banking secrecy. The Swiss reputation for political dullness may be coveted by at least one beleaguered president who might certainly prefer a little more secrecy, though in a different sphere to banking (mais oui).

And Mr Abe, the Japanese conjuror who has produced a dramatic rise in the stock market and an almost equally dramatic fall in the Yen, will be attempting to convince attendees that the Third Arrow of his economic policy will hit the target.

The programme itself has multiple layers. There are the well-attended public fora, which are intended to drive the agenda and set priorities over the coming 12 months: these are often prescient and influential. There are private, invitation-only industry meetings, where specific challenges and issues relevant to a particular sector are chewed upon by the relevant leaders. And then there are the meetings so private they exist only in rumour, where the inner sanctum of the very great have the opportunity to meet, talk and take selfies, far away from the gaze of an interested world, unless they are foolish enough to post them on Twitter. In parallel with all of this is another programme, a programme of enquiry and intellect, where art and science collide. And there is also the save-the-world-from-itself-civil-society of Davos that this year is focused heavily on the seemingly intractable tragedy that is the civil war in Syria.